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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Zephrin the Lost" data-source="post: 4675864" data-attributes="member: 30760">I've also explored converting older modules to 4e and I agree that you need to do more than simply update the monster. The big issues (imho) are: 1. Grind! 4e combats are very different than earlier editions. In olden days you could drop 3 ogres in a room and the team would mow them down at various speeds depending on what spells they had used already. You could have 'throwaway' encounters that meant little overall aside from providing XP and draining player resources. They could still be very fun, but didn't matter much overall. In 4e, those ogres could take all night. And spending all night on a fight that's not that important to the overall isn't a great use of gaming time. So, recognize what you want each encounter in the module to be: If it's just a speedbump (and some 1e modules have plenty of speedbumps!), don't use a standard encounter, use an easier one.2. Encounter overflow. In older editions, combining two encounters wasn't such a big deal (relatively) but there's plenty of evidence that in 4e, 2 standard encounters become 1 TPK. So be aware that something like The Caves of Chaos, where foes live close together can become a deathtrap if those goblins actually alert the ogre and he comes running- depending on what goblins you built into the encounter, of course.As for terrain, the DMG spells it out very well. Make sure that the at least occasionally the PC's can use it against the bad guys as well as having it impede their efforts. Mix it up, try different things. Also, as 4e is so exception based, don't be hesitant to mix improved or single-encounter conditions/tactics up. In older editions, I think if you ruled that a thrown keg did x amounts of damage, you were kind of ruling that all kegs everywhere did x at all times. In 4e, using the damage expressions on pg 42, it's easier to say that this keg matters more in this fight and that's why is did X against a certain foe, but the next keg in the next fight is a different keg used against a different target so does different damage. Just make sure you’re being fair to the PC’s in such rulings and the flexibility will play well. Wow, that's long. Anyway, just what's worked for me. YMMV.--Z</blockquote>

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